The Secret Will Come OutBut They Don't Care
by iwannagibbs
Summary: A quick one-shot with involving Gibbs and a woman who remains unnamed until the end. You might very well figure it out and that's okay.


A/N: Just a quick one shot that popped in my head and wouldn't leave me alone until I got it out. I think these two have some chemistry but of course it can never be.

The Secret Will Come Out…But They Don't Care

Damn, this was hard. Hard for both of them. They'd each been through tough times before but this was really bad. Bad timing, bad luck, bad karma; whatever you wanted to call it, it was bad.

Bad for him because he was shot, near death and far from home. Far away from people who loved him. Thousands of miles from a woman he loved and whom he hoped loved him. Finally, after all this time he'd found one and now this. He hurt and he was scared and he was pissed. Why did this have to happen now? He should have stayed home and let Tony and Tim handle this but, no, not after what happened to Dorneget. No, this was his responsibility but who ever thought it'd be some kid who put him down?

He'd known when he went down it was really bad. The shock of seeing Luke pointing a gun at him was replaced in a second by the astonishing pain of having his knee blown apart and that was quickly replaced or more accurately compounded, by the sheer agony of being shot in the chest. Without thought her face popped into his mind and he wanted to scream. He couldn't though and maybe that was best. That would have wasted what little breath he had left.

The next thing he was aware of was some doctor talking to him and people rushing around and Tony being pushed out of the room. He tried to relax but he couldn't. He was afraid and that scared him because he was almost never afraid anymore. The pain was less now but he was cold and he felt himself drifting away. Then there was some yelling and machines screaming and then he was gone.

It was bad for her because she had to keep her emotions under control no matter what. The phone call had been tough but at least she couldn't see the man who was delivering the bad news. She told her assistant to hold her calls while she took a few minutes to get a grip. She hated that she couldn't be there for him, couldn't hold his hand and tell him everything was going to be okay. Hell, she couldn't even tell herself that with any conviction. The caller had not been encouraging.

Bad got worse when an hour later there was a knock on the door and her assistant walked in her office. He had an update she needed to hear even though the look on his face frightened her to her bones. She held up her hand and he seemed to understand. Maybe her face gave it away. He waited until she indicated it was alright for him to go on.

She heard him give her what details he had. She heard him say, 'critical condition' and 'shot in the chest' and 'might not make it'. After that she didn't hear anything else. She didn't hear that he had the Navy's best trauma surgeon or that he was a fighter. When the man finally stopped talking and just stood there looking at her she couldn't hold it together any longer and she cried. Silently at first and then, despite herself she sobbed until he was forced by his good manners and concern for her, to wrap his arms around her and hold her.

He promised her that he would keep her informed. He made sure she knew he would keep her confidence and then he left her with the assurance that her friend would survive despite the dire report from the scene.

Now, six long days and nights after the shooting he was on his way home. He was going to have a new knee and lots of healing to do but at least he was alive and he was going home. He was almost desperate to see her, touch her and hear her voice. He had no idea if their secret was still intact and he didn't much care at this point. His need for her overwhelmed him. Theirs was a new, fragile, under-the-radar relationship and he feared it would not survive his recovery. After all, he knew himself so much better than she did. He wanted to trust what they were building and he prayed she would be able to stick it out.

Finally, he was coming home and she would be able to see him, touch him and tell him she loved him. That wasn't something she'd said yet but now she could hardly wait to utter those three life-changing words. At least she hoped it changed their lives. She wanted that more than almost anything she'd ever wanted in her life. The last week had been torture for her and she was beyond ready for it to be over. She wasn't sure how he was going to feel about her "outing" them but however he felt about it she'd deal with. She was done with secrets and sneaking around like they were criminals. That was going to be over with as soon as she could get in his hospital room and get her hands-and lips-on him.

Very few people knew about them and that had been nice for a while but this whole him-getting-shot-and-almost-dying thing had changed all that. She wasn't going to be able to stay away and visit only for some made-up business or something stupid like that. She needed to be able to come and go and see him and help him whenever she wanted to. Or when he wanted her there.

He'd wanted to call her when they got to the hospital but it was the middle of the night and he wasn't really up to it as much as he wanted to be. Traveling in his condition wasn't the easiest but his surgeon had insisted he needed to be stateside sooner rather than later. He was finally awake now and desperate to talk to her. His boss was on the way he knew and once that meeting was over he'd call her. He wondered if she even knew he was coming home. She traveled a lot; he couldn't remember where she was supposed to be this week, maybe she was out of town. He hoped not. He wanted to be certain she'd come to the hospital if she could but his experience wouldn't let him count on it. They hadn't been together very long and he knew if she came to see him their secret would be exposed. She might not be ready for that or even willing to deal with what it might mean.

Doctors and nurses had been in and out and his surgeon had just left when he heard voices in the corridor. He watched the door expecting to see his boss walk in. It wasn't the Director. It was another man whom he recognized. Seeing who it was caused him to relax immediately. He knew she was close by. He felt like he could breathe for the first time in days. The man gave a cursory look around the room then gave him a thumbs up and a smile as he stepped back to the door and pulled it open slipping into the hallway.

And then she was in the room and coming toward him. As tired and sore as he was he held out his hands and willed her to move faster. She seemed sort in a haze and he realized he was seeing her through tears that had suddenly filled his eyes. He blinked them away and then she was there, leaning down to kiss him. She kept her lips pressed to his and he felt her tears on his cheeks. They mingled with his and soon she kissed them away. Then she rested her forehead on his and said a silent prayer of thanks.

He was tired. Exhausted really but he couldn't let her go. He framed her sweet face with his big hands and studied her. She was tired he could see and he hated that he was the cause of the little worry lines she hadn't had when he left. There was so much he wanted to say to her but he couldn't find a beginning so he just soaked in the sight of her and the feel of her. Having her here, seeing her, tasting her again, he knew everything was going to be alright.

Finally, with a grin on his face he said, "Good morning Madame Secretary."

That earned him a mock frown and then she put her hands on either side of his face and looked into his eyes. She gave him another kiss and when she pulled back she said,

"I love you Jethro."

That wasn't how she'd planned to start but it was the most important thing she had to say so she wanted to get it out there right away. She watched his face for a reaction and what she saw told her she'd made the right decision. He squeezed her hand tightly, his eyes lit up and he smiled that wonderful smile he kept mostly in reserve. Taking in all that, she too knew everything was going to work out just fine.

END


End file.
